A column of flame that neither burned nor radiated heat surrounded Nathrac, and he was gone.
For several moments, silence dominated the room. Gavin realized that Kiri and Ovir must have placed a hand on each of his shoulders at some point, but he knew not when.
“I cannot believe that old man’s audacity,” a voice said, jerking Gavin out of his thoughts. Upon looking up, Gavin saw that Tauron was speaking. “Marcus has been a thorn in the side of the Council for as long as any of us can remember, and I-”
Gavin now stood in front of him, across the horseshoe table, and when he spoke, his voice was steady and almost calm. “If you finish those remarks, you shall face my challenge.”
Tauron’s face flushed an alarming shade of red, his eyes bulging and nostrils flared. He took a breath to speak, but before he could, Valera interjected. Her voice sounded much like a weary parent addressing a misbehaving child.
“Tauron,” Valera said, “for once in your life, do the smart thing, and shut your damned mouth. Marcus was present at my Test of Mastery, and I saw him for who he truly was, just as I saw everyone else who was present. I’ve known he was Kirloth for nearly twenty years.”
The flush left Tauron’s face as he turned to look at Valera, saying, “And you never told us? How could-”
“During the divination that was the Test of Mastery, I also saw Bellos standing in place of that very statue,” Valera said, pointing at the pedestal near the Archmagister’s seat, “and he asked for my oath not to discuss what I now knew with another soul, living or dead, until Marcus spoke of it first. Would you have me go against His wishes?”
Tauron seemed to deflate in upon himself and stood in silence for several moments. He finally squared his shoulders and lifted his head to face Gavin. “I’m the Magister of Evocation and a former Battle-mage of Tel. Do you honestly think you can win a duel with me?”
Gavin said, “You’re still just a mage, Tauron. If you lived more than three seconds, it would be by my choice.”
Without awaiting a response, Gavin turned and strode from the room, leaving stunned silence in his wake.
Chapter 32
Gavin sat in the armchair beside the hearth, the chair he’d always used. He held a black robe in his hands. A messenger had just delivered it with a note from Valera saying that, as Gavin was Head of House Kirloth now, the Council had promoted him to Magus within the Society. Magus was the highest rank the Society had outside of Magister and Archmagister. The rank runes on the sleeves were white, indicating Gavin had no specialization.
This is really happening. Gavin thought as he rubbed the robe’s fabric between his thumb and finger. Marcus is really gone. I keep expecting the suite’s door to open and see him walking in, asking where I am with my studies.
The suite’s door clicked and swung open on silent hinges. Gavin stared at the sight, frowning, until the door opened wide enough to reveal Declan standing outside, dressed in his matte, midnight black leather armor. He entered the suite and closed the door behind him.
“Gavin,” Declan said, “there is a matter we must discuss, but you’ve been rather dead to the world the last few days. I couldn’t bring myself to intrude upon you.”
Kiri walked up to stand at Gavin’s shoulder, smiling as she said, “Hi, Declan.”
“Hello, Kiri,” Declan said. “Gavin and I are going out for a while. There’s something we need to discuss. Please, forgive me, but I’m afraid this discussion is for Gavin alone.”
“That’s okay, Declan,” Kiri said. “I have plenty to do to keep myself busy.”
“In that case, Gavin and I will leave as soon as he is properly attired.”
Gavin frowned. “But I’m already dressed, Declan.”
Declan pointedly looked at the black robe laying across the chair Marcus always used.
Gavin followed the direction of his friend’s gaze and said, “Oh.”
He switched robes, and they left.
Declan led Gavin out of the College and into the western side of the city. As they walked, Gavin stopped and looked at something to his right. Declan turned, looking at Gavin with a quirked eyebrow and saying, “What is it, Gavin?”
“I think I know where we are. Do we have time? I mean, is it okay to make a quick detour? If I’m right, there’s something I want to show you.”
Declan shrugged. “We’re not on a set schedule.”
Gavin turned away from Declan and led him into an alley. About twenty-five yards into the alley, another alley met it. Gavin stopped and looked down that alley, grinning.
“Yes, that’s it…so…we want to go this way.”
Gavin pivoted on his right heel and resumed walking. At every right corner in the alley, Gavin stopped and examined the wall in front of him, usually saying, “No, that’s not it.”
They were ten minutes into their walk when Gavin approached a wall and stopped.
Chiseled into the stone of the building in front of them was a sigil. Gavin remembered it very well.
“Declan, do you happen to have a rag or something to wipe away the muck on this wall?”
Declan examined his various pockets and produced a small piece of heavy canvas, which he offered to Gavin. Gavin accepted the canvas and wiped away all the muck and grime that still covered the sigil. Once he accomplished as much as he could, Gavin stepped back and pointed to the sigil, saying, “Do you know what that is?”
Declan stepped close and leaned down to be eye-level with the sigil. He spent several moments in silence before standing and facing Gavin. “I never thought I’d actually see one of these, Gavin. It’s one of the activation sigils for Tel Mivar’s garrison; from what I’ve read, there’s probably twenty or thirty of them scattered all over the city. What made you bring us here?”
“The day I woke up in this city, I slipped and fell right here. To make a long story short, I cut my hand and bled on the wall. The sigil reacted to my blood; it lit up and glowed. The rune in the center glowed a ruby color…and that’s when I learned the Word of Interation I know. My whole body went rigid, and it was like that Word was burned into my mind.”
“Huh,” Declan said as he looked at Gavin. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say someone was meddling. I’ve never heard of that before…but…I haven’t heard of everything.” Declan turned his attention back to the activation sigil. “Do you think you can use that?”
“Why would I be able to use it?”
“There are two activation criteria: one, be the Archmagister or, two, be a true-born child of House Kirloth. I feel safe in saying you meet the second.”
Gavin turned to the sigil and stepped close, crouching down to examine it.
Okay. Let’s take this apart piece by piece. The core of it is an Interation effect, but that doesn’t make any sense. Why would it…oh. The Master of the Field. He’s part of the garrison, and they’re all spirits. The Interation effect is necessary to draw the spirits into this realm. Now, here…these are Tutation runes. Protection? No; that doesn’t seem right. Why would they need protection? Wards? Ah…bindings. These bind the spirits called forth to our reality, and those Conjuration runes give the spirits form and substance, at least some substance. There’s nothing here, though, about using the sigil.
As he examined the sigil, Gavin reached out with his left hand and placed it on the sigil. The moment his hand touched it, the sigil began glowing. The Interation rune at the core glowed a ruby light. The Tutation runes glowed vermillion, and the Conjuration runes glowed aquamarine.